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Carmakers, energy companies and environmental NGOs issued an urgent warning ahead of a meeting of EU leaders on Thursday and Friday (June 27-28) not to reverse the EU’s 2035 de facto ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars
“The 2035 zero-emission vehicle target is Europe’s most straightforward electric vehicle industry strategy and will generate important investments for European companies,” the Electric Vehicle Platform, whose members include Renault Group, Uber, Volvo, Ford and Tesla, wrote in a joint statement on Monday (June 24).
Under EU law, new cars sold after 2035 must not emit carbon dioxide, which effectively bans the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, such as diesel or gasoline.
The league said it was “very concerned by recent statements calling on the new European Commission to reverse agreed CO2 standards for cars and vans”, referring to lawmakers from the centre-right European People’s Party who have announced they want to reverse the ban and allow more “technological openness” instead.
As the European People’s Party took first place in the election, its leading candidate Ursula von der Leyen Expected to be reappointed by EU leaders As President of the European Commission for a second term, the possibility of revising the 2035 target is becoming increasingly likely.
The draft of the next European Commission’s “strategic agenda” will be published on June 25 for adoption by EU leaders and will be reviewed by Euractiv, but it does not include a goal of reversing the internal combustion engine ban.
Instead, it pledged to “provide a stable and predictable framework and create a more enabling environment for scaling up Europe’s manufacturing capacity for net-zero technologies and products”.
European People’s Party to discuss cars next week
Jens Gieseke, former chief negotiator for CO2 standards for cars, told Euractiv that the new EPP group in the European Parliament will decide how to deliver on its promises During the “Study Day” in Portugal next week (July 2-5).
“Reversing the ban on internal combustion engines was one of the core demands of our campaign,” he said, adding that there were several options to change the law, including considering alternative fuels or reducing the average emissions reduction target for carmakers to 90% from the current 100%.
However, the Electric Vehicle Platform warned that “without a consistent, clear regulatory framework, it will be impossible to attract investment to create a net-zero industrial ecosystem for zero-emission mobility”.
It added: “A ‘reversal’ now would also severely penalise all industrial players, including many of our members who have already invested in this transition (automobiles, batteries, infrastructure etc.).”
However, not all European carmakers share this view. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse called the ban “naive” in an interview earlier this year, adding that “adjustments are inevitable.”
(Editing by Donagh Cagney/Alice Taylor)
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